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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Eddie Williams, who passed away on May 8,
42017; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Eddie Williams was born in Memphis, Tennessee on
6August 18, 1932; he served in the United States Army and
7graduated from the University of Illinois in 1955; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Following his service, Eddie Williams worked as a
9reporter; he then became the first African American protocol
10officer at the United States Department of State and worked on
11the staffs of Senator Edward M. Kennedy and Senator Hubert
12Humphrey; he joined the University of Chicago as director for
13the Center for Policy Study in 1968 and became the vice
14president for public affairs; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Eddie Williams served as president of the Joint
16Center for Political and Economic Studies (JCPES) from 1972 to
172004; he built the JCPES into one of the leading institutions
18in African American political thought and research; he led the
19JCPES in helping establish several organizations of African
20American elected officials and built a roster of more than
2110,000 African American elected officials; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Eddie Williams hosted African American elected
2officials every four years to assemble policy priorities to
3share with presidential candidates and transition teams; he
4also created Focus magazine in an effort to bring together
5African American elected officials, political activists, and
6scholars nationwide; he was the founding chairman of the board
7of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Eddie Williams shaped and established the first
9respected African American think tank/policy institute in and
10for Black America; his research and policy work was the basis
11for most African American political and civil rights gains in
12the post-King, pre-Obama era; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Eddie Williams is survived by his wife, Jearline;
14his son, Larry (Rangena Hotaki); his grandchildren, Samaira and
15Rafiq William; and his stepson, Terence A. Reddick; therefore,
16be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL
18ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
19Eddie Williams, and extend our sincere condolences to his
20family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
21further
 
22    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be

 

 

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1presented to the family of Eddie Williams as an expression of
2our deepest sympathy.